Bean dip

Some years ago my husband kept pestering me to prepare beans more because they are so cheap.  I think initially I was very reluctant because I can't say that I really like beans much, and I was pretty sure I couldn't make them in a way that he liked them much.  After searching recipes and a little experimenting I began making them in a way that he enjoys.  This blog is showing the bean dip that I make, but it also includes the recipe for the beans plain, which can be good in burritos and my kids often like to eat them just plain.
I use dry beans which isn't much more work, but it often requires thought the night before.  I love to make this on days when I have to take my children to doctor's appointments (which are an hour away) or when I need to go to Sam's club (an hour and a half away).  This usually is an all day event for me as a mother of 5 young children going alone with all of them.  So it make's it possible to have a good dinner ready when my husband comes home.  There can be some great advantages to using dry beans, they have a long shelf life and they also are less likely to cause gas.  When I make a pot of beans I do a very large pot and we have a 2-3 meals that week with them.  I probably make them about twice a month.  I've included a picture on the bottom of a jar with all the ingredients except for water, oil, and garlic, I have all the spices in a bag.  To prepare a few jars of this at a time saves me some time since all my spices are in a corner cabinet and I have to take all of them out to get to the ones I need.  With these ready made jars, which aren't sealed, I can just grab a jar rinse the beans and rice and add all the wet ingredients.

For those who don't know how to prepare dry beans, you first need to sort through them and pull out any rocks or lumps of dirt.  Then you rinse them thouroughly.   I put mine in the crockpot and fill with water until the water covers 2 inches over the beans.  This should be done the night before so they can soak.   You can do a "quick soak" method the day you want to eat them, it requires boiling at a higher temperature for about an hour, or if you're doing it in crockpot I think it's cooked on high for a couple of hours.

BEANS AND DIP

This recipe almost fills a 6 qt crock pot, if your crock pot is smaller you’ll want to cut it in half.

3 cups dried pinto beans  

 1 cup rice

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/3 c oil

1Tbsp Paprika

1 Tbsp Salt

2 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

    When cooking with dry beans it’s best to let them soak overnight.  Sort through dry beans to clean out any rocks, then rinse beans and put in crock pot.  Fill with water so that the water is about 2 inches above the beans.  You can do a “quick soak” of the beans the day you are wanting to have the meal if you put the beans in the croakpot and cook on high for an hour, then turn to low and add all other ingredients.  These beans are better if they can cook on low with all ingredients for a few hours to get all the flavor.  They are good for homemade burritos or I most often use them for my dip.

   To prepare dip take 4-5 cups of prepared beans and rice, add about ½ cup cream cheese and ½ cup salsa and blend in the blender.